To Help a Princess: an ASL Pirates Story
by BeadleJuice
Summary: SEQUEL TO BEGINNING OF THE ASL PIRATES. The journey of the ASL Pirates to achieve their dreams is finally underway. What adventures await them in the most dangerous sea, a place so deadly it is known as the "Pirate's Graveyard"? What happens when thy meet the princess of the desert country, Alabasta, who asks for their help in saving her country? They venture off to help of course!
1. Chapter 1

To Help a Princess: an ASL Pirates Story

Into the Grand Line

"Nami-swan!" Sanji announced from _Merry's_ crow's nest. "I have a report of love! There's a storm up ahead!"

Nami looked down at the map in her hands. "It looks like we're back on track. We should be seeing the Red Line any time now."

"We should be," Sayamasa agreed, looking out at the storm from her place beside Nami.

"That's right, you're from the Grand Line," the ginger answered, looking over at the other woman.

"The New World to be more specific," the brunette answered, reaching into her pocket. "I didn't get the chance to give this to you in Loguetown."

While the girls talked, Luffy leaped up into the crow's nest. "The Grand Line! At last!" He patted Sanji on the back a bit harder than necessary. "Hey Sanji! We're finally going! We're finally going!"

"That hurts, moron!" the blonde yelled, spinning around to kick him. A little brawl broke out which Luffy won easily.

"What is it?" Nami inquired, ignoring the boys and taking the strange bracelet that had a little bubble in the middle with a compass needle floating inside it.

"That, Nami-chan, is a Log Pose. It's used to navigate in the Grand Line because compasses don't work there."

"Why not?"

"The magnetic fields are messed up because every island has its own. The Log Pose can lock onto the magnetic fields of the islands so that you can reach them."

"Oh okay, thanks." The ginger fastened the bracelet around her wrist. "So, this way into the Grand Line… is it really—"

"A mountain? Yep, Reverse Mountain is the only way into the Grand Line, well except the way Marines go through but that's basically cheating."

"Can you and Kally go take down the crosswalk? We're going to need to line up to get through, this canal looks pretty narrow."

"Of course." The swordsman leaped over the railing. "Kally, come help me!" she called, striding over to the crosswalk and crossing it. Detaching the crosswalk was a simple matter and Saya tucked it gently against the railing of the _Vendetta_, making sure to tie it down. "Nami says we need to get in a line because the canal is narrow. We'll take lead since we have the navigator; make sure to leave a lot of room because we'll be going up pretty fast."

"Up?" Emmy asked. "Why the hell will we be going up?"

"Reverse Mountain," Ace, Mur, and Saya answered in unison.

"Huh?"

"All the water in this ocean moves toward a single canal," Saya informed him. "Because of all the water pressure, the canal actually runs upward. There are canals like that in all four Blues and they all bring you to the same place: the Grand Line."

"That's awesome."

Nodding to them, the woman turned and strode across the air toward the _Merry_. "All done, Nami. Let's get moving!"

They sailed forward, right into the storm. "Sanji! Luffy! The sail!"

"On it my love!" Sanji cooed, hurrying to raise the sail. Luffy helped by pulling the sails up from above, securing them with the ropes.

"We're gonna hit the wall!" Gin shouted. "Usopp! Turn the rudder!"

"I can't!" the dark skinned man yelled back.

On the other ship, Johnny and Yosaku cried out, "They're gonna crash!" and grabbed onto one another, tears in their eyes.

"I've got it!" Luffy exclaimed, concentrating on the rock and altering the gravity enough to push them into the canal.

"Woo, that was close," the two men on the _Vendetta_ sighed, releasing one another.

"Definitely," Nojiko, Emmy, and Mori agreed, nodding.

As the second ship approached the canal, Kidd used his powers to steer the mostly metal ship in the right direction, sailing it right up the mountain. Cheers rang out on both ships as the current caught them and pulled them up and up until they reached the top, the _Merry_ leading the way back down the mountain with the _Vendetta_ right behind. Emmy let out a screeching cheer only to shriek. "Mountain!" He pointed straight ahead. Kidd, not knowing what he was talking about but figuring he was as reliable a source as any, furrowed his brow as he concentrated on lifting them into the air and over the 'mountain'.

Hachi leaped off the ship and dove into the water, swimming ahead to do what he could to stop the _Merry_ only for it to sail into a whale's mouth! "Hachi!" Luffy shouted, reaching around the edge of the ship to try and pull his friend on board. One of his tentacles wrapped around the boy's hand and his friend pulled him to the relatively safe domain of the ship.

"We have to get out of here!" Nami shouted only for the creature's mouth to close behind them. Kally fell to her knees and began to cry.

"Hey!" Luffy shouted, looking down at her with a serious frown. "No crying. Pirates don't cry you know!"

"B-b-but—"

"No buts, pirates don't cry!" he scolded. He leaned forward and grinned. "Besides, we're gonna get outta here so there's no reason to cry." He raised up and turned around. "After all, I'm gonna be Pirate King!"

~ _Vendetta_ ~

"Kally!" The shout left Kidd's mouth before he could stop it, but was drown out by Ace and Sabo's "LUFFY!"

The act of the _Merry_ sailing right into the whale's – as they now knew it wasn't a mountain – mouth was enough to make Kidd's concentration break and their ship to fall, crashing into the whale's head. The creature howled in pain as the mostly metal ship collided with the injuries, both scarred and fresh, on his head. It jerked its head, sending them flying through the air. The shipwright spread his hands out again to catch it and try to slow their momentum so they wouldn't go too far. They splashed into the water and everyone quickly began forcing the ship back toward the whale.

"HEY!" All eyes moved toward the shout. A short young woman with long blue hair was calling to them from a little outcropping of land while she waved her arms to try to get their attention. "ARE YOU GUYS OKAY?"

"YEAH, BUT OUR CREWMATES AREN'T!" Sabo yelled back.

"THE WHALE ATE THEM!" Ace added.

"THEY'LL BE FINE, CROCUS WILL GET THEM OUT!"

"WHO?"

"JUST COME HERE SO WE DON'T HAVE TO SHOUT!"

Ace and Sabo shared a look before looking back to their crew. "Mur, you know anything about her?"

"No, I just know that there's supposed to be a lighthouse keeper. I think he's the Crocus guy she mentioned though."

"Think she's dangerous?" Nojiko asked.

"This is the Grand Line; you should assume everyone is dangerous," the former waiter answered calmly. "I don't believe she's a threat though, but that's just my opinion."

"Are we going over there or not?" Kidd growled.

"Mur, do you think this Crocus guy can get them out?"

The man shrugged. "From what I understand, he's supposed to be a doctor and that's an island whale. That species is so large that you have to treat them from the inside so it's certainly possible."

"Then we're going over there," the brunette announced firmly. The crew nodded and went about directing the ship over to the stranger. Once the ship was safely moored and the gangplank set up, Ace crossed over to greet the girl, "Who the hell are you?"

"Ace, be nice," Sabo scolded. He smiled at the bluenette. "I'm sorry for my brother, he can get a little irritable when Luffy is in danger." The blonde offered a hand. "I'm Sabo and this is my brother Ace."

She smiled and shook his hand. "I'm Kadi." The woman withdrew her hand. "So the ship Laboon ate was yours too?"

"Well _technically_ they would both be Luffy's ships because he's captain," Sabo answered. "Are you sure this Crocus guy can get them out?"

"Yeah, it's not the first time this has happened."

"What happened to his head?" Nojiko asked. "It's scarred pretty badly and some of those wounds are even fresh!"

Kadi's eyes looked sad as she looked over at the whale. "He rams his head into the Red Line over and over again."

"Is he stupid?" Mori asked.

"Is he suicidal?" Emmy questioned.

"No and maybe a little," Kadi answered, looking back at the crew. "I wasn't here to see it, but when Laboon was just a baby he came here with pirates. He was kind of like a part of the crew, so they had him stay here so he wouldn't get hurt or killed by the Sea Kings. They set sail and promised to return once they'd made it all the way around the Grand Line. Laboon has been waiting for them ever since. Rumor came that the pirates had left the Grand Line within a few years. Laboon misses them so much, he rams his head against the Red Line, trying to break through it to return to West Blue so he can find his friends and be with them again."

Johnny and Yosaku burst into tears and grabbed one another. "THAT POOR WHALE!" they cried.

The rest of them looked sadly at the whale, thinking about the trials it had been through. Except Kidd who hit the former bounty hunters upside the head and snapped, "Man up you pathetic morons!"

~ _Merry_ ~

"I have no explanation for this," Sayamasa announced, looking around the ship. There was an ocean and a sky complete with clouds and in front of them was a little island with a house on it.

"Me either," Zoro muttered.

"I could have sworn we were just swallowed by a whale," Sanji pointed out.

"We were," Kally agreed.

"So where the hell are we?" Gin asked.

"Dreaming?" Luffy suggested.

"Dead?" Usopp, ever the pessimist, whimpered.

"Is that… a house?" Kally asked, staring at the little building in the middle of the whale's stomach.

"Who would want to _live_ here?" Hachi asked.

"Maybe whoever lives there knows the way out!" Luffy exclaimed.

"_If_ they're still alive," Gin inserted.

"Yeah, if," Zoro agreed.

"This isn't right…" Nami murmured, eyes focused on the sky above them.

"Obviously," Zoro countered with a roll of his eyes.

"Are you questioning Nami-swan?" Sanji exclaimed.

"Don't start a fight now!" the ginger snapped at the blonde who swooned and stopped his advance on the green haired man. "I meant that the clouds aren't moving!"

"Huh, they aren't… Are they painted up there?" Saya asked.

That's when a giant squid leaped out of the water at them. "AHH!" Kally and Usopp screamed.


	2. Let the Games Begin

To Help a Princess: an ASL Pirates Story

Let the Games Begin

Before anyone had a chance to react beyond the most cowardly of the group's screams, the sound of gunfire met their ears and three harpoons shot through the giant squid. The squid fell backward to reveal that the door of the little house was open with three thick cords trailing out it, ending at the harpoons on the now dead squid. "Looks like someone's home," Zoro muttered, hands on his katana.

Gin's hands didn't move from his own weapons when he asked, "Do you think they're friendly?"

"Well," Saya started, "they did just save our lives you know. Of course, it could have been accidental." She shrugged and walked forward to stand on the railing, one hand resting lightly on her katana.

"I've had it," Nami whimpered behind them, tears streaming down her face as she looked at Usopp and Kally.

"Me too. Giant squids, guys with harpoons…"

"And where's Brother?" Kally asked pathetically.

"It looks like the others didn't get eaten," the ginger told her, still in her pathetic voice.

"HEY! MISTER! ARE YOU NICE OR NOT?"

"Luffy! You don't just shout that at people!" Sanji yelled at him.

"Why not?"

"Is that a flower?" Gin suddenly asked.

"A flower?" Zoro looked in the direction he was and frowned. "Huh, it looks like it. A human flower."

"Ah, it makes sense now," Saya announced, nodding her head with a small smile. "Crocus-san!" she called, waving her arm. "Are you Crocus-san?" Now everyone was giving her an odd look but she ignored them.

"Crocus?" Luffy asked with a frown. "Who's Crocus?"

"It's rude not to introduce yourself when asking another's name."

"Oh, sorry. I'm—"

"Yes, I am Crocus, and I am the lighthouse keeper of the twin capes. I'm seventy-one and a half years old. Gemini."

He was still droning on about himself when Sanji shouted, "WHAT THE HELL?"

"Hush, Sanji," Saya scolded. "He may be old, but I've heard tales about the lighthouse keeper. He isn't someone to mess with."

"Really? That old guy?"

"Everyone on the Grand Line should be approached with caution and the idea that they're dangerous because they all are. Not everyone is a threat, sure, but all of them can hold their own. Otherwise, they would have been chewed up and spit out by this ocean by now."

"I thought you said that there are no more people like that man with the hawk eyes," Gin murmured, eying the old man suspiciously now.

"There _is_ no one quite like him. Hawkeye Mihawk is the greatest swordsman in the world and one of the Shichibukai, the Seven Warlords of the Sea. All of them are different, but all of them are dangerous."

"OLD MAN! ARE YOU REALLY THAT STRONG?"

"You don't have to scream everything, Luffy!" Nami shouted, hitting him over the head.

"Ow! Nami!" he whined.

"Crocus-san, I am Mibu D Sayamasa of Sakura Island and I would greatly appreciate your help. Will you please tell us where we are and how we can get out?"

"At least one of you has manners!" Crocus exclaimed. "And Sakura Island? You're a long way from home, huh kid?" He seemed to consider something for a moment. "Wait, did you say Mibu? There's someone at my lighthouse looking for you! Her name is… oh right! Megumi!"

The red eyed girl's nose snarled up distastefully. "Who's Megumi?"

"Could you please not tell her I came through? That would be great."

"Wouldn't she have already met Mur though?" Kally asked with a frown.

"Chikuso!" (Damn!)

~ _Vendetta_ Side ~

"So, Miss Kadi, how did you come to be here at the lighthouse?" Sabo asked as the blue haired woman brought out tea and sandwiches.

"One day, I washed up on the shore of one of the first islands of the Grand Line. I don't remember anything before waking up. The woman who found me took me in and took good care of me until she died. After that I came here and I've been here ever since."

"I see," the polite blonde responded, nodding along. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"It must have been pretty recent," Mur announced. "I've only ever heard tales of Crocus."

"You're… Mur right?" Kadi asked, giving him a quizzical glance.

"Oh! Pardon my temporary lack of manners, Kadi-chan. I am Mibu D Muramasa of Sakura Island."

"Mibu? Oh! There's someone here waiting for you!"

"There… is?" Mur's face had paled and he looked a little sick at the thought.

"Yes, Miss Megumi! I'll go get her now!"

"No need!" Mur exclaimed, grabbing the girl's hand before she could go back inside. "Really, it's fine."

"You're right, there is no need," a cold female voice announced. The former waiter winced. "I am already out here, Muramasa."

"Chikuso," he muttered under his breath. Then he put on a big fake smile and looked over at the woman. "Megumi-san! It's been so long! I didn't expect to see you here!"

The woman smirked. "I was promoted into the Goyosei just last year and given the task of reporting in when you and your sister finally arrive. Speaking of which, where is Saya-chan? I'd love to say hello."

"Oh well I have uh no idea! Nope, none at all. Haven't seen Saya since we were dropped off you know and—"

"What are you talking about?" Hachi asked, looking strangely at his friend. "Saya is only on the other ship in the whale's stomach with Crocus!"

The former waiter gave the fishman a look that said 'I will kill you in your sleep' which caused him to flinch and wonder why his friend seemed so angry all of a sudden. "I expected as much," Megumi announced, her eyes flicking inquisitively toward Kidd. "I guess I can miss Saya-chan and go straight home to report in. Everyone back home will be excited. Good luck, Mur-kun, and let the Games begin." Then the woman turned into an oversized eagle and flew off into the sky.

"Chikuso!"

"So, um, what was that all about?" Sabo asked, looking from Muramasa to sky and back.

"I'm very sorry," the orangish-brown haired man told the quartermaster, his shoulders slumping. "Saya-chan and I should have told you sooner. As you know, Saya-chan and I were raised as warriors; that is because our island is one that respects power and strength. On our home island, a tournament is held to determine the strongest warrior on the island and that warrior is made king or queen until the time of his or her death when another tournament shall be held. The only thing that prevents this tournament from occurring is if the former king or queen had children who are under the age of sixteen. In this case, the tournament is postponed until the child comes of age."

"So?" Ace asked. "I don't get it, what's the big deal? And why does that concern us?"

"Mibu D is the name bestowed upon the winner," the boy answered, eyes sad. "Only the winner of the tournament is allowed to keep the name which is bestowed upon their children at birth."

"So you and Saya are like a prince and princess?" Mori asked, tilting her head to the side.

"In a sense. But once the tournament is over, one or both of us will not be Mibu D anymore."

"That sounds weird."

"What did she mean by 'let the games begin'?" Nojiko asked.

"A good question," Mur answered. "Which brings us back to 'why does this concern us'. Before the Tournament can begin, the Games happen. When all of the 'favorites' – which is what they call the children of the former ruler – have entered the Grand Line, the Games begin. Basically, it's a bloodbath that expands from here to Sakura Island. Any time competitors of different crews meet, they're supposed to fight, generally to the death. If the other competitor is a captain, then the fight _must_ go to the captain, otherwise it's whoever the hell you want to fight."

"So basically, you and Saya and Luffy are going to have to fight a whole bunch of people."

"Not necessarily. Those of higher rank on the crew are allowed to take the challenge in place of their subordinate. Plus, there is no stipulation in the rules that the challenge has to be issued to the other competitor first. If they wanted, they could challenge Emmy – of course, anyone could step in to prevent that fight should they choose as, not offence to him, he's one of the lowest ranking crewmembers."

"So it's a crew-wide exercise?"

"Also, Kidd," he turned to look at the redhead. "You and Kally will be allowed a place in the tournament should you ask for it because of your eyes. Red eyes are a trait that only those of the _original_ royal bloodline can have. Because of that, any red-eyed person is allowed, and encouraged, to compete."

"This is horrible!" Johnny exclaimed.

"We might get killed!" Yosaku agreed.

"I understand if you want Saya-chan and I off your crew now." He bowed his head dejectedly, shoulders still slumped.

"Oh don't get your panties in a wad," Ace scoffed. "There's a pretty good chance we would get killed without you guys on our crew, this doesn't change anything. Besides, the decision is Luffy's and I doubt he would kick anyone off his crew just because they have enemies. And I wouldn't doubt that he'll jump into a lot of your fights in the future."

"That's Luffy for you!" Sabo agreed with a laugh, leaning back in his seat.


End file.
